Islamic quotes about patience, sabr in the Quran and Sunnah

إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

Indeed, Allah is with the patient.

Quran 2:153, Surah Al-Baqarah, part of the ayah

The first part of the ayah: seek help through patience and prayer.

إِنَّمَا يُوَفَّى ٱلصَّٰبِرُونَ أَجْرَهُم بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍۢ

Indeed, the patient will be given their reward without account.

Quran 39:10, Surah Az-Zumar, part of the ayah

No measure is placed on the reward of patience.

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient,.

Quran 2:155, Surah Al-Baqarah

The tests are named in advance: fear, hunger and loss. The good news is for the patient.

فَصَبْرٌۭ جَمِيلٌۭ

Patience is most fitting.

Quran 12:18, Surah Yusuf, part of the ayah

Fa sabrun jamil, the words of Yaqub when he was told Yusuf was dead.

فَٱصْبِرْ صَبْرًۭا جَمِيلًا

So be patient with gracious patience.

Quran 70:5, Surah Al-Maarij

Beautiful patience, the scholars explain, is patience without complaining to people.

وَٱصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِ

And be patient, [O Muhammad], and your patience is not but through Allah.

Quran 16:127, Surah An-Nahl, part of the ayah

Even patience is a gift you ask Allah for.

إِنَّمَآ أَشْكُوا۟ بَثِّى وَحُزْنِىٓ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ

I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah.

Quran 12:86, Surah Yusuf, part of the ayah

Yaqub again: patience does not mean hiding grief from Allah.

وَٱصْبِرُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ

Be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.

Quran 8:46, Surah Al-Anfal, part of the ayah

وَٱصْبِرْ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُضِيعُ أَجْرَ ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ

And be patient, for indeed, Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good.

Quran 11:115, Surah Hud

Patience in doing good is never wasted.

سَيَجْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ بَعْدَ عُسْرٍۢ يُسْرًۭا

Allah will bring about, after hardship, ease.

Quran 65:7, Surah At-Talaq, part of the ayah

A promise made in the middle of a ruling about spending within one's means.

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱصْبِرُوا۟ وَصَابِرُوا۟ وَرَابِطُوا۟ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

O you who have believed, persevere and endure and remain stationed and fear Allah that you may be successful.

Quran 3:200, Surah Al-Imran

The last ayah of Al Imran: be patient, and outlast others in patience.

وَٱلْعَصْرِ ﴿١﴾ إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَٰنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ ﴿٢﴾ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّٰلِحَٰتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ

By time, Indeed, mankind is in loss, Except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience.

Quran 103:1-3, Surah Al-Asr

Surah Al-Asr: success needs faith, good deeds, truth and patience together.

إِنَّمَا الصَّبْرُ عِنْدَ الصَّدْمَةِ الْأُولَى

Patience is at the first moment of the blow.

Sahih al-Bukhari 1283; Sahih Muslim 926, narrated by Anas

Said to a woman weeping at a grave who did not recognise him at first.

وَمَا أُعْطِيَ أَحَدٌ عَطَاءً خَيْرًا وَأَوْسَعَ مِنَ الصَّبْرِ

No one has been given a gift better and more vast than patience.

Sahih al-Bukhari 1469; Sahih Muslim 1053, narrated by Abu Said al-Khudri

عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ، إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ، وَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ، إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ

How wonderful is the affair of the believer: all of it is good, and that is for no one but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is thankful, and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he is patient, and that is good for him.

Sahih Muslim 2999, narrated by Suhayb

مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسْلِمَ مِنْ نَصَبٍ، وَلَا وَصَبٍ، وَلَا هَمٍّ، وَلَا حُزْنٍ، وَلَا أَذًى، وَلَا غَمٍّ، حَتَّى الشَّوْكَةِ يُشَاكُهَا، إِلَّا كَفَّرَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ خَطَايَاهُ

No tiredness, illness, worry, grief, harm or distress befalls a Muslim, not even a thorn that pricks him, except that Allah wipes away some of his sins by it.

Sahih al-Bukhari 5641; Sahih Muslim 2573

وَالصَّبْرُ ضِيَاءٌ

And patience is a shining light.

Sahih Muslim 223, part of the hadith that begins "Purity is half of faith"

وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّ النَّصْرَ مَعَ الصَّبْرِ، وَأَنَّ الْفَرَجَ مَعَ الْكَرْبِ، وَأَنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا

Know that victory comes with patience, relief comes with distress, and with hardship comes ease.

Musnad Ahmad, narrated by Ibn Abbas, in the longer wording of his advice. Graded sahih by later scholars, including al-Albani

وَجَدْنَا خَيْرَ عَيْشِنَا بِالصَّبْرِ

We found the best of our life in patience.

Umar ibn al-Khattab, reported by al-Bukhari in his Sahih without a chain (Book of Softening the Hearts)

Patience is to faith what the head is to the body. When the head is cut off, the body perishes.

Attributed to Ali ibn Abi Talib; Ibn al-Qayyim cites it in Uddat as-Sabirin

Reported from Ali in early collections; we say "attributed" because the chains are discussed.

Patience is holding the soul back from panic, the tongue from complaining, and the limbs from slapping the cheeks and tearing the clothes.

Ibn al-Qayyim, his definition of patience in Uddat as-Sabirin

Let the days do as they will, and be at peace when the decree arrives.

Attributed to Imam ash-Shafii, from the Diwan of poems collected under his name

The opening line of a well-known poem. The poems in the Diwan were gathered long after him, so we say "attributed".